NAIF ART IN BRAZIL

At the beginning of the 20th century there were many artistic avant-gardes, and each avant-garde had specific aesthetic characteristics, such as Cubism, for example. In the case of naive art, it is different because it is not something planned by a group of artists or intellectuals, and therefore does not have common or specific aesthetic characteristics (FINKELSTEIN, 2001). In Brazil, one of the most internationally renowned naïve artists was Chico da Silva (1910–1985), from Acre.

He even received an honorable mention at the 33rd Venice Biennale, in Italy, in 1966. Another great highlight was Heitor dos Prazeres (1898–1966), from Rio de Janeiro, who participated in the first São Paulo International Biennial, where he won one of the awards (ARDIES , 1998).

The most traditional and important exhibition of Brazilian naive art is the Bienal Naifs do Brasil, held by the Social Service of Commerce – SESC of Piracicaba, selecting participants through a notice, being the most competitive selection in Brazil.

The demand is great for naive art events, which has driven the creation of more events recently, such as: the International Biennial of Naive Art Totem Cor-Ação – BINAIF in Socorro/SP; the National Exhibition of Naive Art in the State of São Paulo; the International Festival of Naive Art – FIAN in Guarabira/PB; the Naif Small Formats Exhibition in Paraty/RJ; the National Exhibition of Naive Artists from the Center-West – ENANCO in Goiânia/GO; and the International Naive Art Exhibition “Universo da Alma Ingênua” in Santa Teresa/ES. Therefore, in Brazil naïve art is expanding, every year the number of artists grows and demand gives rise to more event offerings, in addition to the interest of collectors and galleries.